I couldn't be more grateful for this daycare. From day one, it has been clear that this is a place…read morebuilt on trust, compassion, and genuine care for every child that walks through the door. The environment is warm, thoughtful, and incredibly supportive-exactly what you hope for when you're entrusting someone with your child. The teachers are amazing. It is clear that they are invested in my child's needs, growth, and development. They're not just caregivers; they feel like true partners in parenting. Every day my child comes home happy, learning something new, and feeling loved. That peace of mind is priceless.

They have moved to 16 Pine St in Waltham (the old theater). Space is coming along beautifully…read moreinside. School is relatively well run. There are two tracks here: the competition track (levels 1-10) and the Xcel track which is more casual. Both will help your child build self confidence (one of their goals for the kids as they get exposed to performing and competing). Xcel is more relaxed, uses some teen graduate coaches more and is better suited if your child is very shy and not yet ready to compete. Usually these programs are 2xs per week for ~2hrs. Some of our daughters classes have moved along a bit slowly depending on the teacher and some are more formal. Competition levels are 3xs a week and very serious and get high level coaching. As an example if I could do the level 5 warm up routine I'd have the body of Adonis. These kids are fit. This program is more expensive and the kids compete often and may travel to compete. Level 10 is national level fyi. Overall they run a good show though we have experienced some of the issues in the 1 star reviews. It is safer than regular gymnastics and incorporates more ballet type dance with a gymnastics floor routine.

This gym/gymnastics school is wonderful! It is a big open indoor space with students at all…read morelevels. They also have vacation camps and summer camp. The owner is very involved and goes out of her way to make new members and their families feel welcome. I am so glad to have discovered it!

Julia, I am commoved to your new sensitive approach to managing kids. Something that our family…read moredidn't experience in your installations. Yes, my reaction was inappropriate; it was the first time someone shot me the cruel statement that my seven years old are not allowed to be part of a sport and recreational program for his disability. You forgot to mention that in your reply! Also, to support that cruel statement, you told me that you have the right to choose to provide service as a private business. You forgot to mention that, too, in your sensitive reply. And also, after you expressed these two wrong statements, you tried to justify that your program and staff were not prepared to handle a kid with disabilities. My kid only needs time to feel comfortable in any activity; for the rest, he is an exceptional and incredible kid, like any other kid with any behavioral challenge. I can't imagine what would happen if a family with a kid with a severe condition arrived at Olympia Fencing Center in Cambridge, MA. And Julia is there! For the rest, the coaches of your center are great. Yes, I behaved incorrectly to interact with a respectful person, but I was in front of a discriminative person; that cataloged my kid without knowing him as someone who cannot be part of a fencing program. That was the trigger point, Julia. Julia, thank you for the lollipops you gave to my kids. A lollipop doesn't make you good or bad, but your expressed words reflect your beliefs and values. You are a discriminative person! And you are correct in your reply; that is something I will legally check if the City of Cambridge and the State of Massachusetts will support that a seven years old kid is not allowed to be part of a program, as you said, "for his disability."

Olympia Fencing is a wonderful community for kids and parents. My son generally starts shy but…read morewarms up in time. The coaches have built his confidence and skill in a very positive manner. As a parent, I love the sense of community Olympia Fencing provides. It has a real club feeling. My son has made many friends and feels a part of something bigger. The coaches and owners are incredibly caring and knowledgeable, mixing a fun experience with challenging and hard work. I can not give a higher recommendation than to Olympia fencing

My daughter is 4 and is in the junior warrior class for about 10 months. Sheehan Marco is really…read moregreat teacher and amazingly patient. The kids start learning Karate that is appropriate for their age group. He really teaches good listening, patience, and other skills that are great for the kids.We are looking forward to her development in the coming years.

This was the best party ever. My 6 year old and friends had a great time, were fully engaged in all…read morethe games and activities. The decorations, attention to detail and excellent customer service. I had no idea what to expect and was completely blown away by Shihan Marco and his team. Thank you for such an incredible day!! I'd give more than five stars if I could.

This playground is spacious but even better there is a huge field adjacent to it. I come here on my…read morewalks and during winter it's not the most active scene but still a nice place to let your dog free or run around if you're a runner.

The playground appears aged and could benefit from better maintenance. Some equipment shows signs…read moreof wear, impacting the overall experience.

The Goddard School in Lexington is a well run and fully staffed location. They are focused on…read moretaking care of the children and are always open to talking about your child's progress and are always open to working with you on anything. As a parent of 2 children who have been enrolled over the past 2 years (our oldest is aging out and moving to Kindergarten in Sept), we have watch the children transition from the Toddler room and into the Pre-School and then Pre-Kindergarten rooms. All the teachers show that they care for the children and are open and approachable. The daily photos and summary e-mails allow you to see what is happening with the children and the teachers take the time to write a note if necessary so that you know if there was a particularly good thing or something that you might want to address. The owners are on-site and are actively involved in the running of the location and their child is a student so it is great to see their active involvement and also know that they want the best for the children. During the COVID-19 shutdown, they set up Zoom sessions for all the kids as well as posted the teachers reading stories and doing activities on Facebook to allow the kids to keep interacting and it was great for my children to see their classmates on Zoom and be able to talk with them, as opposed to just staying home.

Goddard Lexington is a very well-run organization from the top down and you will know it as soon as…read moreyou set foot in the beautiful and clean building. The teachers are very experienced and the administration is very friendly and great at communication. Take it from someone who's been here since the beginning (and since has a niece and nephew here as well), I would absolutely recommend this wonderful child care to anyone I meet.

We haven't attended any other karate classes in the area but come from Watertown each Saturday…read moremorning for my 6 year old daughter to attend. Sarah, Isaac, and Adam are very patient and knowledgeable. It is great in the winter when kids need to let out energy. We have struggled with listening / attentiveness in the past (gymnastics etc) but the skills she is learning in the class, and team sportsmanship, seem to alleviating some of these issues.

We have been going to Sarah's School since our son was in "Little Dragons" - the youngest class for…read morethree year olds and up. I loved how Sarah is with the children. She brings them out of their shell, and through play, engages them in learning. With the newest teacher Sensei Josei teaching each class as well, there is lots of personal attention and the kids are learning a lot of karate, but there is still always one game for each class as well as the "gathering time" where they talk about the monthly theme (like "How can I be kind?" and "How can I help my parents?". The other students are friendly and kind people, probably in part because they take these classes. The only complaint I have is that I can't figure out the system for advancement. I would like to use it to motivate my child. For example, if it is based on a series of movements, I could encourage him to practice his kata, take a video of it, work together at home. Or is it based on time spent? or is based on mastering certain other things? I don't think it should be easy to advance, but I'd like to know what the child has to achieve in order to do so. Overall, rules in general are hard to figure out (for parents). I have to rely on my child to tell me what he needs to do and not do. I guess this is an exercise of letting go and letting my kid do it without me pushing or helping. But overall the whole atmosphere is so warm and so stress-free that I think that is OK. Some other schools may be more "hardcore" about everything, but here, the children are really nurtured and I love that it's about the whole picture - not just cultivating a physical prowess but about cultivating one's spirit as well.

The coach had my 11-year-old kid do a whole lot of swings on the uneven bars. He got blisters, and…read morewas made to continue to the point of them bursting and having raw palms. Then the coach ripped the loose skin off of him. It's two days later and he's still having trouble writing. It's bad. I emailed him as a courtesy saying that this was the reason we were discontinuing lessons, and he replied, "Unfortunately gymnastics is a rough sport... Competitive gymnastics is not for everyone." Which doesn't even make sense from a pragmatic sense because he's too hurt to train. He blamed by kid for not being tough enough to take his abuse. Does the coach ripping off a piece of your skin have to be part of competitive gymnastics? According to Beyond Gymnastics: yes. This is certainly the worst incident we've had here, but I'm not totally surprised it came to this. I should have pulled my kid sooner. The culture here is toxic.

My daughter has trained at Beyond and previously, Brestyan's for the past 5 years. She has excelled…read moreas a gymnast, placing in the top three at states and other meets every year. More importantly to me however, is how much she has gained in confidence, social/emotional maturity, work ethic, discipline, and sportsmanship. These are the reasons we continue to commit to this sport and this gym in particular. Juston and Jackie have envisioned a gym where athletic excellence is achieved in a nurturing environment. Juston is tough, precise, and challenges the girls to reach their potential. He has earned their respect. They don't want to disappoint him because they know he genuinely cares for their well being in addition to meet performance. This is his expectation for all coaches in the gym. At Beyond, we are a family. Just like any family, we are not perfect. Sometimes we don't communicate as often or as well as we should. But we work through those challenges together with kindness and consideration. The girls on my daughter's team are the closest of friends. For real. No one is left out. They celebrate every meet and birthday together and cheer each other on in the most supportive ways. Older athletes look out for their "little sisters". On any given day, if you visit a practice you will see our girls, rec and team, at all levels doing very hard work with all the joy and laughter a healthy childhood should have. Lastly, I believe parent culture can make or break a gym. Yes, we are competitive and close at the same time. We have a tight bond that is also inclusive and welcoming to newcomers. We spend so many hours watching our kids together and I couldn't be more grateful for the culture we have created.